Dreams
by Invader Tia
Summary: Jazz has the worst luck. But when she runs into the flock, maybe her luck is turning around... OC. FAX, and IGGY x OC. No flaming, or Fang will be sent to kill you in your sleep, my little angel of darkness. T for later chapters. Discontinued
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: I love Maximum Ride. She is amazing. And I support FangxMax. So all you romance haters leave right. Freaking. **_**Now**_**. **

**I love all you guys who aren't pricks and flamers... and Erasers. **

**I don't own Max. Just Jazz. **

**No flaming. First Max story. Like all fanfictions, may be OOC at times. **

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

(Jazz's POV)

I remember, vaguely, when I was a young child. I remember dreams of flying high above the clouds, free as a bird and wild as the wind. I fantasized the feel of fresh, clean air rushing into my lungs, the cool temperatures of high altitudes. It was always the same dream.

The reason for such dreams was the fact that I was ill most of my childhood. I had a degenerating muscle disease that was focused on my legs; I couldn't walk for lack of muscle mass. I spent most of my waking hours staring out the window, wishing I could grow wings and soar out of that prison that housed me.

_Be careful what you wish for, Jasmine._

I was six when my father, desperate to seek a cure, sent me to the School in California. My mother's heart was broken when she saw me leave on that plane. I later heard that she died in a house fire, and my father selfishly killed himself over her death, orphaning me.

Now I was the School's property.

Under my father's orders, when he was alive, I was to be given the avian DNA, let me grow stronger, and then sent back home untouched by scientific testing. When he died, the School decided that I was now an experiment. They kept me in a cage, feeding me next to nothing, abusing me, and leaving me to my own devices generally. It was almost worse than back in Montana.

When they finally grafted me, I must have been about seven or eight; I had lost count of the days I was in that lonely cage with no one but the whitecoats to talk to, and they only spoke scientific gibberish. The memory of when I first woke up after the grafting was the beginning of the worst three years of my life:

I ached everywhere. My back felt heavy, as if weights were stuck to my shoulder blades. My head throbbed, feeling like a thousand tiny hammers were pounding on every inch of my skull. Although I was still too weak to lift my arm, I felt relatively lighter. Like my very skeleton had been filled with air. Even my hair felt thinner, softer.

There were garbled voices, speaking nonsense at first. I opened my eyes, and everything spun and blurred. Nothing was quite right. The pressure between my skull and brain increased as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. I knew I was on a table; I could feel the cold steel on my bare arms.

Something blocked my back from touching the metal surface, though. I turned my head slightly- _and saw a wing_. It was _attatched to my shoulder._

The wing was covered in golden feathers. Pale yellow downy feathers topped the elbow. Each and every soft, silky feather shined in the artificial light. I looked to the other side, and there was another wings with the same properties.

_I had wings. _

At first, I thought that this was a sick joke based on my hopes and desires. Was I really officially an angel now? Could I really fly? Would I live my dreams?

These questions were never answered. Before I knew it, three years had passed. I had been through the most unimaginable tortures; going through mazes, running for hours at a time on a treadmill, constant blood draws, Erasers teasing and chasing me around a yard and trying to kill me. The worst was watching other experiments die before my eyes, or being carried off to their deaths. It broke my heart everyday to see another poor mutant be tested until its body finally gave out.

By now, you're probably wondering "Why am I reading this? I know the story from Maximum Ride!" Well, this isn't Max's story. If you want to read about her triumphs, go get her series. This is my story, the story of a girl who learned the hard way that every dream has a price.

I'm Jazz.

And I have some important things to tell you. All you have to do is read.

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

**Well? I like. **

**Sorry it's so short. Prologues aren't really meant to be long, are they? Anyway, this one I'll be writing in all the time, so don't think about telling me that I'm not a good writer because I can usually come up with one chapter, and then I get writer's block. **

**Jazz is not a Mary Sue. Don't even try to mention. **


	2. Escape

**Author's Note: Hooray! Another chapter!**

**I don't own Maximum Ride. She belongs to James Patterson. I do own Jazz. **

**No flaming, all you Erasers. **

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

_Oh, my God. This is almost as good as flying. As if I would know._

Another bullet flew by my head. Those stupid Erasers and their shotguns. If I weren't running for my life in a forest right now, I would probably have my wings stretched out and trying to take to the air.

I've never gotten this far before. They always caught me before I could get to the woods. Not tonight. Not ever again. Erasers will never touch me again- as long as I run. The whitecoats at the School should have know better than to put me on a treadmill almost every day. My legs are stronger than most Erasers. That plus my light composure and determination to get as far from this horrible place as possible meant that I was faster than any Eraser. The only problem was that I kept tripping over roots and stones with my bare, sensitive feet. And even though the pain barely touched the memory of some of the things I'd gone through, I still wasn't used to it. Who gets used to pain, even in the School?

My main goal was to find the girl I had heard of once from the whitecoats. _Maximum Ride_. She was a few months older than I was, and much more leaderly. I wanted to meet her so badly. Maybe she would take me in, too. Maybe.

Right now, I had to get out of range of those darned guns.

I had managed to get into the mountains, high above the valley where the School was located. I was trying to find a place to jump off, so I could fly. Fly away from here.

It was night, sometime in the wee hours in the morning. Full moon, so to my raptor vision, it was almost as bright as daylight. Even so, the shadows the pine trees cast everywhere misguided me. I often turned to a place I thought was a trail or way to lose the moronic half-wolves on my tail, as ended up almost running smack into a tree or boulder. Darn, I hated California.

"Get her!" I heard one Eraser bellow. "It's a sheer drop up ahead!"

Obviously these dipsticks didn't realize that I knew how to fly, as long as I had room to take off. With this new information, I ran faster. I saw the edge of the cliff maybe a hundred feet ahead. Perfect.

I pumped my legs as hard as I possibly could- six years ago, I could have never done any of this. The one thing the School ever did that turned out good for me was to give me the ability to walk, run, and fly. It was also their greatest mistake.

Just as I passed the last tree, I spread open my wings. Before I could think, they started flapping. I reached the end of the ground, and with last flash over my shoulder, I kicked off the rock with all my strength.

At first, I plummeted about ten to fifteen feet; my wings couldn't get the rhythm quite right. I closed my eyes as the cool night air streamed between my feathers, chilling my entire body. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, and wings found the beat within a few seconds. I was gaining altitude- _I was flying_. I had fulfilled my life-long dream.

I soared, banking slightly to circle around the group of Erasers that were chasing me. I lifted my arms so they were parallel to my wings. I could imagine the way my golden feathers gleamed in the pure, white moonlight. I slightly envied the Erasers, if only for a second, for being able to see my wings' reflecting the moon like the surface of golden water.

"Losers!" I shouted at the pack. They growled and snarled at me uselessly. I smirked at them- they couldn't hurt me ever again. I blocked the moonlight, casting a shadow over the irritated Erasers. I was teasing them, as they always teased me.

Figuring that if I stayed any longer, I turned and flew west. To Maximum Ride.

To freedom.

To family.

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

**Again, short. Haven't you notcied that most of the chapters in Maximum Ride are, like, **_**two pages long?**_

**I know, this is pretty much a parody of the first chapter in the first book. I don't care. The next chapter will be much different, I promise. **

**No flaming. **


	3. Dream

**Author's Note: I'm on a roll here. **

**I own Jazz. That's it. **

**No flaming. Or my little angel of darkness(Fang- I LOVE FANG SO MUCH!) will kill you in your sleep upon MY request! Stupid Erasers...**

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

It's so beautiful up here. I wished I could stay all my life above the clouds, like an angel does. But I can't. I have to find Maximum. I can't care for myself, no matter how much I think I can.

I dropped, losing some distance between the ground and I. There was still hundreds of feet of air below me, though. I loved that feeling of floating, being untouchable. I felt like I was princess Jasmine on a magic carpet ride- without Aladdin. Wait... oh, nevermind!

Nevertheless, I dropped lower. Some vehicles on back roads came into focus below me. They looked so tiny, like like ants marching on a set path. I wasn't quite sure which state I was currectly flying over, but it must have been a very lush place- there were green trees everywhere, except for the roads, which looked like little dark gray veins in the emerald.

Rest. I needed to rest. My wing joints were beginning to get sore. I'd been flying for hours- it had to be sometime around noon. I hadn't stopped for food or rest, for fear of Erasers finding me. I also was having a hard time fighting the hunger pangs that were wracking my body. Where would I find food out here, in the middle of _nowhere?_

That's when I spotted it- a campsite. With campers. Making lunch. Even from way up here, I could smell the hamburgers. My mouth started watering. I was so hungry.

Without thinking, I practically divebombed down to the camp. I had to stop myself and land in a tree, where they couldn't see me. _Control yourself, Jazz,_ I thought to myself. I folded my wings so I could use them for a quick getaway.

_Here goes everything._

I swooped down while all the campers were getting the utensils and grabbed a couple patties right off the grill. They burned my hands, but I didn't care- I had food! Quickly, I flew straight back into the tree and started shoving the patties down my throat. I'm not sure if I tasted them or not- I was too hungry to care.

That barely helped the rumbling in my stomach. But at least I felt better. I hopped to another tree, farther away from the campsite. Here I settled and drifted into a light sleep.

_"You'll never win, Jasmine." _

_The voice was sinister and cruel. It sounded intent on spilling my blood. No, I can't let him kill me. I have to get to Maximum. She needs me... She needs me now. _

_"Go away!" I ordered into the blackness, feeling silly. The figure with glowing red eyes chuckled evilly._

_"But I can't; I'm in your head," he said in a dangerously calm tone. "The only way to get rid of me is to eliminate yourself." I growled. Suicide was not an option. Not now, not with Max in serious danger... _

_But from what? A shadow? _

_"I'm not a shadow," the figure said, slightly irritably. "I'm you. I'm who you will become."_

_"Screw that!" I shouted. "I will _never_ be like you!" He reminded me of the freaking Erasers back at the School- 'You'll join us sooner or later', and 'We're just like you'. _

_"I see. You're going to be difficult about this." _

_It wasn't a question. And I wasn't going to let him destroy me. _

_"What do you want from me?" I asked, shaking slightly. My wings were about to give- I needed an answer now. _

_"I want nothing from you," he stated. "It's all what you want, Jasmine. I'm you."_

_"You are _not _me. And _stop calling me Jasmine_," I growled- this guy was ticking me off really badly. "I will _never_ go back to that hellhole, if that's what you're getting at." _

_The firgure just chuckled again. "Jasmine, you don;t belong out here. You need to go where people will care for you." _

_"I can fare fine." I was lying through my teeth. I didn't care; as long as I won this freaking fight with myself. Darn internal battles. But my wings... so much pain... I couldn't stay in the air. I started to float down, lower and lower until I thought my neck would snap by how far I had to look up. _

_I wasn't falling at all. I was drifting. It was peaceful- except for the evil laughter all around me, making me even more paranoid than usual. I was glaring in every direction, trying to find the source. None came. _

_Suddenly, I blacked out._

I sat up, wide-eyed and shaking slightly. What a freaky dream.

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

**I think it's longer than the other two.**

**Do I know what the figure means? Yes. Will I tell you? No. Am I going to make you find out? You betcha. **

**Still no characters from the book yet. I've yet to figure out how to get them in... suggestions?**

**As always, no flaming.**


	4. Matilda

**Author's Note: You people seriously need to stop ignoring my work. I only have two reviews- what the hell? I live on reviews, people! If I don't start getting some, I'm going to freak out. **

**Jazz is mine, everything else belongs to James Patterson.**

**Don't be a hater; no flaming, please. **

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

After that enlightening experience, I decided that flying might help with my anxiety; there was no way I could go back to sleep. Besides, I needed to get moving- I had to find Maximum Ride, even if it killed me. Why did I have a feeling that was going to be the case?

I took to the air, my wings pumping air below me to get higher. It didn't matter if I was flying for my life, or get to get somewhere- it felt incredible. Like I was invincible.

Riding on the air currents, I figured that maybe Maximum was flying, too. That made me seem a little less inhuman, knowing there _were_ others, few they may be, that could do this, that could fly. I tried not to look down too much, and at first the hunger was easy to ignore. I wasn't feeling weak yet, so the growling in my stomach didn't affect my flight any. It was just annoying after the first hour or so.

A glint caught my eye, and I glanced below me. A shimmering lake sparkled below. I gasped in delight and lowered myself the over three hundred feet to glide just less than arms' length over the water's smooth surface. I couldn't help myself- this had been a part of my dream, too. I reached down and let my fingers skim the cool glass-like water, leaving a stream of disturbed water behind me. My wings downstroked, and the tips of my feathers brushed against the surface as well.

I saw the end bank of the lake out of the corner of my eye, and I flapped to get into the air. No sense in getting caught on land.

All pleasures aside, I had to get higher, faster. After all, the chances of me accidently slamming into Maximum Ride in midair are pretty slim.

Then again, so were the chances of escaping.

Silence engulfed me. I hated it. When I lived with my parents, my mother always had music playing in my room so I wouldn't get lonely. And then, in the School, I had created my imaginary friend. Matilda.

I loved her like a sister, even though she wasn't real. She gave me advice and was right about almost everything. She told me I was going to break out.

Anyway, I was getting bored. "Hey, Milly!" I said to the air next to me. Matilda appeared, her pale white skin almost transparent and her short black hair whipping around in the wind.

_Yeah, Jazz?_ she asked me. I smiled.

"How about a race?" I knew I wouldn't win; Milly was in my imagination. She would always be faster than me. Still, it would be better than imaginary checkers.

_Sure!_ Milly answered enthusiastically. _On three?_

"Looks like," I responded. "One..."

_Two..._

"Three!"

And we sped off. I closed my eyes, letting my senses and Matilda tell me where to go. I pumped my wings, desperate to get faster. I also gained height. Looking down, I could barely make out the roads anymore. The clouds were like fluffy cotton balls. The air was actually starting to get warm.

Even with my air sacks, I shouldn't have been able to breathe this high. The air has almost no oxygen up there. But I was breathing just fine. Matilda swooped up next to me as I gaped at the height I was at. No fear of bugs flying in your mouth at this altitude.

"What the heck is going on?" I asked my friend. She smiled at me.

_It's one of your abilities,_ she explained. _It works in extremely thick air, too._

"Oh," I managed.

The air was so thin and my weight was so low, I felt like I was as heavy as a piece of paper. I glanced at my wings. They shined in the sun. I wondered what they looked like down below- if anyone could see me at all.

"Okay, Milly. Which way is Maximum?" I asked. Matilda seemed to droop when I mentioned Maximum Ride, but she gave me instructions nonetheless.

_We're too far east,_ she mumbled.

"So, what, we go to Arizona?" I mused sarcastically. Milly nodded. "Then west it is!"

And I turned and flew to the west, practically right back to where I was coming from.

===DEATH TO ALL ERASERS===

**I did better on this one. And it's longer. So, there. **

**This isn't the full extent of Jazz's extra abilities. And Matilda will be extremely important in later(WAAAY later) chapters. **

**Also, anyone care to inform me on where to find the rest of the series? I only have books 1, 2, and 4! I'm borrowing the third from the school library. Halfway through it. Amazing, I must say. **


End file.
